Wednesday, May 14, 2008

In hopes of starting an interweb flame-fest between the schools that hate us, this week's food chain:

Top 5 non-ACC schools who drink haterade on Boston College

Don't hate the Eagle, hate the game.

I'm sure these schools have nothing against Boston College personally, but sometimes college athletics seem to bring out the best (worst?) in a small minority of fans. Let us evaluate the merits of each of these school's fan bases to determine the pecking order of most hateful. For this exercise, we have brought in BC Interruption fill-ins Andy and Christian and newcomers to the program Raj and Justin.

Connecticut (UConn)

Brian: First, they don't want to have anything to do with us, try to sue the pants off us, then they are practically begging us to play them in football. Lots of BC fans have a bitter taste left from playing at UConn in football in 2003. And they must really hate us if Jeff is advocating for us beating them down in football yearly.

Jeff: Uconn is a school with great basketball tradition whose students and fans have a mindset that BC cannot compete with them on the court. In football though they are a relatively new program but their arrogant fans expect their team to start being a perrenial top 25 team and routinely finish ahead of BC in the polls. Oh, and yeah, every Big East team hates BC for leaving the conference. They don't hate Miami or Va Tech because they dominated football, only BC.

Raj: What was once a basketball powerhouse has now taken a backseat to every school in Massachusetts. The religious affiliation takes it to a higher level. Although I would say we are heads and shoulders above them, our basketball games can be considered instant classics. And I'm not trying to start anything but Uka Agbai's mysterious neck injury came at Holy Cross. Only true haters hurt Uka Agbai.

Brian: Two words. Sports. Guy. Get over it. Dude's been taking pot shots at BC for years.

Rutgers

Jeff: Rutgers and BC don't have a lot in common re: athletics and academics and Rutgers students are in denial about that. They are another extremely bitter Big East school but that will fade over time. If we don't start playing Rutgers in something soon, BC will be forgotten about in the minds of the Rutgers fan base.

Raj: Their AD was the one who led the case against BC leaving the Big East. I think the cause of action was being better in every sport including men's soccer.

Boston University

Raj: I threw this in for the simple fact they are the only other Boston school that matters in hockey and drinking. They hate on BC because we are the closest school to them. Fiercest rivalry in hockey, again, stemming from the proximity.

Andy: Raj's reason's are spot on. Proximity. Our girls are better looking. They wish they had a Dust Bowl.

Raj: Quality school but just need the hate. We hate on them and as a result its retaliation. They ruined our final years in Big East football and enjoyed doing so. Their basketball program is annoying and I think we really pissed them off storming the court after we beat them freshman year. I'm just saying.

Brian: I don't know if Syracuse would be on my list anymore, if only because they've made their football program irrelevant in past years. Other than upsetting Louisville and exposing one of the most overrated programs of the last decade. Brian Brohm can't hold Matty Ice's jock. I'm just saying.

Jeff: Every Syracuse fan I've come across says that they had the opportunity to move to the ACC but turned it down and then BC got invited instead. False.

Providence

Andy: More BC rejects than any other school.

Brian: Ouch. Real reasons: the only fellow Big East conference member who also is a member of Hockey East. We have a great rivalry with PC in both hockey and basketball. Providence is a similar school to BC with a religious affiliation and we are practically in each other's backyards.

Notre Dame

Andy: Their students insist there is no rivalry. Denial is a dangerous thing. BC undefeated since a certain group of Eagles moved into Duchesne West. Fans hate us because they show no respect.

Jeff: Notre Dame fans have been denying that there is a rivalry for years and years and its sad. Finally they are starting to come around because of our recent dominance in the football series but there are still too many doubters out there. The hottest ticket at BC this season will be the Notre Dame game and when thousands of BC students make the trek to Sound Bend for the game it has the perfect makings of a rivalry. Not to mention all the upsets BC has had over them in football and then Notre Dame handing BC their first basketball loss when the Eagles started the season 20-0.

Brian: The Irish love to hate. The rivalry was only strengthened by the NCAA men's ice hockey national championship.

Brian's Food Chain

5. Notre Dame - They have cute nicknames for us like "Backup College" and "Fredo." If there isn't a rivalry and no hate, why are you spending all this time coming up with nicknames for us?4. West Virginia - the Mountaineers took pleasure in bouncing the #1 seeded Eagles from our last Big East men's bball tournament and take pleasure in making fun of Ben Affleck3. Connecticut - UConn football aspires to the level of BC2. Rutgers - we made them look pretty silly in football during our years in the Big East1. Boston University - 2 NCAA Titles in 7 years, it must just eat them up inside. They can have the Beanpot

Jeff's Food Chain

5. West Virginia/Rutgers - the only other remaining football and basketball Big East schools4. Connecticut - only a 2 hour drive between campuses3. Syracuse - they wish they were in the ACC and a football series is starting up again soon2. Boston University - the close proximity makes it a natural hatred1. Notre Dame - you can even look up the BC-ND rivalry on Wikipedia. And there are many similarities between the schools as far as academics and size so many students apply to both out of high school

Leave your comments, proof of the hate and/or your top 5 in the comments section.

I certainly hope you don't paint all ND alums/fans as paranoiac sky-ISN'T-falling, the-emperor-IS-clothed nuts, but I'll admit there are some out there. But there are a lot more who readily admit there is a rivalry and are ready to embrace it-- they're just drowned out by the loudmouths.

I wouldn't necessarily chalk it up to insecurity on behalf of the other ND fans as much as they really, really ONLY want to be seen eating lunch with the cool kids in school (USC, Michigan, occasionally Miami/FSU/Penn State), sometimes the friends of the cool kids (Michigan State, Purdue, UCLA, Washington, UNC) and sometimes the nerds (Stanford, sometimes Duke) and the ROTC nerds (Navy) instead of being seen in public with their cousin (BC).

But don't worry— after high school, ND and BC become the best of friends and even live together as roommates. Sitcom, anyone?

Miami, FSU, and Penn State graduated a few years ago, yeah, but they still hang around the campus during lunch and after school, mostly because we freshmen love hearing them tell stories about how cool they were in school. Oh, and they all dress like the Fonz, with a cool car to boot.